NEW YORK (AP) – He came from the streets from Brooklyn, a cool customer on four legs, the perfect bait for a sting on a fake veterinarian.

Meet Fred, undercover kitten.

Authorities said on Wednesday they drafted Fred – an 8-month-old former stray adopted by a prosecutor – to pose as a would-be patient while investigating a man who allegedly treated an untold number of pets without a license.

Steven Vassall, 28, was collared last week and charged with unauthorized practice, criminal mischief, attempted petty larceny and other criminal counts, said Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. He was released on $2,500 bail. A call to Vassall’s attorney was not immediately returned.

At a news conference, prosecutors introduced Fred, who sported a tiny badge on his collar as he and his owner, Carol Moran, posed for photos.

“He’s pretty easygoing, a real Brooklyn guy,” said Moran, one of Hynes’s deputies.

Fred the tabby shared the spotlight with Burt the Boston terrier, an alleged victim of Vassall.

Burt’s owner, Raymond Reid, contacted authorities after the 6-year-old dog survived a botched operation. The defendant allegedly recommended the dog should be euthanized, but Reid got Burt back – along with a bill for $985.

In hindsight, Reid said he should have been suspicious of a veterinarian who only made house calls, and treated patients in an undisclosed location.

Vassall “seemed like a genuinely nice guy,” Reid said. “I’m glad they caught him, but at the same time I feel sorry for him.”

Last week, an investigator posing as Fred’s owner summoned Vassall to an apartment rigged with a hidden camera. Authorities played a videotape at the news conference showing the defendant telling the investigator that the kitten could be neutered for $135.

When Vassall left the apartment carrying Fred in a box and $135 cash in his hand, he was greeted by police and arrested. Investigators later recovered a price list for vaccinations and various procedures, including surgeries.

It was unclear how long Vassall – a college student who once worked as a laboratory assistant in a vet’s office – allegedly scammed pet owners before Fred helped put him out of business.

Joyce Clemmons of the nonprofit Animal Care and Control, which rescued Fred, predicted the kitten had a future in law enforcement.

“He’s going to be the detective for the animal world,” she said.

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